Hudson River Park Trust Plans Renovation of Pier 97
BY WINNIE McCROY
On April 12, nearly 50 community
members gathered at the Hotel Trades
Council building in Midtown for a meeting
of the Waterfront, Parks & Environment
Committee (WPE) of Community Board
4 (CB4), to share their “wish list” of items
for the renovation of Pier 97. On hand
to discuss the project was Hudson River
Park Trust (HRPT) President & CEO
Madelyn Wils, and Senior Vice President
of Design & Construction, Kevin Quinn.
“We have $50 million each from the
governor and the City for the Hudson
River Park to develop the north end, Pier
97 at 57th Street, which is currently a big
concrete slab,” Wils said. “We are here to
figure out how to use our money.”
HRPT plans on spending $24M on
renovating the pier for active recreation,
with another $6M dedicated to programming on the “upland” portion of the piers
(the apron of land in front of the piers),
as well as installing necessary restrooms/
maintenance building.
After they determine the types of programming the community wants, negotiate the projects that will fit into the space
and tabulate their economic feasibility,
HRPT will have landscape architects, a
design team, and several other architects

create renderings of the Pier 97 project to
share with the community. They hope to
be able to return to the board of CB4 in
the early fall with this presentation, and
work with them to define the project. To
keep to budget and time constraints, they
will try to avoid any projects that involve
the water, with the possible exception of
the recent request for proposal (RFP)
they released to attract a water taxi ven-

dor to nearby Pier 84.
“This is the beginning of the process
and we have no designs created yet,”
Quinn said. “We are here to hear your
ideas, so we can put out our RFP. This is
the very beginning of the process.”
During the meeting, HRPT showed
slides of plans created 13 years ago by
architect Richard Dattner & Partners —
but they noted that these plans are prob-

ably no longer relevant to a community
that has grown over the past decade.
After being used until 2011 as a garbage truck parking lot for the Department
of Sanitation, Pier 97 was rebuilt in 2013,
and now stands at 79,620 square feet
(663.5 ft. long x 120 ft. wide), with a
6,433 square feet “upland” area.
“We’re going to start over,” Wils
declared. “It’s up to the designer to add
his own flair on how to pull it all together,” she noted, “but we’re asking you what
programming you want.”
While the Historic Vessels project will
remain, as they’ve already retrofitted the
pier to accommodate the ships, the rest
of the space is up for discussion. And the
community had some ideas.
Many ideas were discussed for the
future of Pier 97, among them a skate
park, a playground, basketball courts,
lawn space, water features, a sculpture
garden, a dog park, snack bars, and
even mini-golf. Envious of Tribeca’s beach
volleyball courts, WPE member Jeffrey
LeFrancois suggested they build some of
these Uptown.
Safety was a big issue, with community members urging HRPT to be sure
PIER PLANS continued on p. 14

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NYC Community Media

Seeds Planted for
Rooftop Gardens to
Feed Midtown Needs

Courtesy of Inner City Farmer

Much of the produce Inner City Farmer grows is donated to a women’s shelter
and a church’s food pantry in Hell’s Kitchen.

BY DUSICA SUE MALESEVIC
Can a freshly grown tomato help with
homelessness? Ask John Mudd and Andrea
Winter, and the answer is a resounding
“Yes.”
Winter, of Inner City Farmer and Mudd,
of the Midtown South Community Council
(MSCC), have partnered to help spread
rooftop gardens in and around Midtown.
Now entering its third season, Inner City
Farmer grows thyme, tomatillos, and, yes,
tomatoes on the roof of 205 W. 39th St.
Much of the produce — including collard greens, kale, carrots and all kinds
of lettuces — is donated to the Dwelling
Place, a homeless women’s shelter at 409
W. 40th St., and across the street to the
food pantry at Metro Baptist Church,
Winter told this publication in a phone
interview.
Winter recounted a story about giv-

ing tomatoes to a group of guys who are
regularly at the corner of W. 39th St. and
Ninth Ave. She said she often stops to chat
with them, and on this occasion, they ate
tomatoes while she explained where, and
how, they were grown.
“We [were] connecting,” Winter said,
noting that is part of Inner City Farmer’s
mission. Her son, who started the initiative, wanted to get fresh, quality produce
in the hands of people who might not be
able to afford it, she explained.
Indeed, Mudd, a longtime Hell’s Kitchen
resident who is president of the Midtown
South Community Council, said, “It’s
starting to build a foundation for a community.”
The council has been working on the
complicated problem that is homelessness
GARDENS continued on p. 16

Back to Work We Go — But First, Some Back-Patting!
BY SCOTT STIFFLER
From subways to congestion pricing to taking control of development
around the Penn Station area, your
hard-working friends here at Chelsea
Now rightly (and righteously) chafe at
being told what to do by a certain guy
in Albany — but we fold like a load of
dryer-hot laundry when folks in the
New York State Capitol tell us we’ve
won an award.
That was the pleasant scenario last
weekend, when the New York Press
Association (NYPA) held its annual convention, the highlight being a
series of ceremonies announcing the
winners of the 2017 Better Newspaper
Contest.
Chelsea Now and its NYC
Community Media sister publications (Gay City News, The Villager,
Downtown Express) were recognized
for excellence, as were publications
from our sister company, Community
News Group (the companies are
owned, respectively, by Jennifer and
Les Goodstein).
Newspapers throughout the state
competed, with the same awards given
in several divisions. Keep that in mind
as we go through the list, because
we’re not going to bore you with the
specifics of what comprises a division (long story short, they’re broken
down according to circulation size).
So, without further delay, on to the
shameless back-patting promised by
this article’s headline.
Headlines, you say? Chelsea Now
Editor Scott Stiffler was given (he’s
far too modest to say “earned”)
the third place award for Headline
Writing. “Smart headlines through
and through,” said the judge, of the
five news and arts headlines submitted. “Subheadlines explained the pithy
headline,” the judge also observed.
Two examples of that: “Paradise
Lost: Garden of Eden Cast Out of
Chelsea by Changing Times” referenced Dusica Sue Malesevic’s article
about the closing of a longtime market
on W. 23rd St. For Winnie McCroy’s
article chronicling tenants dealing
with the lack of a crucial utility,
Stiffler penned the headline, “Chilly
Scenes of a Hot Plate Thanksgiving:
Tenants Talk Turkey About Living in
Buildings Without Cooking Gas.” Our
CNG sister publication, The Brooklyn
Paper, earned the fi rst place honor
in this very same category. Editor-inChief Vince DiMiceli, Deputy Editor
Anthony Rotunno, and Art Director
Leah Mitch shared the honor, with

4

April 19, 2018

Design by John Napoli

Strong visuals and a forceful headline from our issue marking the one-year anniversary of the Chelsea bombing contributed to its win in the Special Sections and Best
Front Page categories.

the judge calling their work “punchy,
descriptive, on-point.” Adding to the
prestige: Headline Writing is a statewide award, not broken down into
divisions.
Three Chelsea Now freelance contributors picked up their very fi rst
NYPA win. Photographer Christian
Miles was awarded second place in the
Picture Story category, for his Fleet
Week images taken in Times Square
and the area around the Intrepid Sea,
Air & Space Museum. “Nice variety
and great topic,” wrote the judge.
Longtime Chelsea Hotel resident
Gerald Busby was part of the fiveperson team who contributed to this
newspaper’s second place win in the
Coverage of the Arts category, for his
piece written in advance of a Film
Society of Lincoln Center screening of
Robert Altman’s “3 Women” (Busby
composed the music). Also sharing
in that win: Sean Egan, for his profi le of Matt Butler, a Chelsea resident
whose solo debut album, “Reckless
Son,” was informed by his addiction

and recovery. “It’s nice to read about
an artist overcoming adversity to succeed,” said the judge. Also sharing in
the win: Stiffler, for an entry in his
“Just Do Art” column, which features
local arts events; Rania Richardson,
for her profi le of YouTube Space (a
production facility located in Chelsea
Market); and Stephanie Buhmann, for
her look at the Whitney Biennial.
Buhmann was also honored when
Downtown Express took home the
fi rst place award for Coverage of the
Arts (for her critique of an exhibit at the 56 Henry gallery). Others
who contributed to that win were
Trav S.D. (writing about the National
Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene), arts section editor Stiffler (for another Just Do
Art column), Charles Battersby (for a
preview of virtual reality offerings at
the Tribeca Film Festival), and Puma
Perl (profi ling a tattoo exhibit at the
South Street Seaport Museum). Of
Perl’s article, the judge wrote, “Loved
the story on tattoos, especially compelling.”

Max Burbank, who has been our
political satirist since the 2016 presidential primaries, holds nothing back
in his decidedly unfavorable view of
the man we currently must refer to as
President Donald J. Trump. But his
barbs are not limited to mere words.
Burbank’s columns also feature his
hand-drawn illustrations, which often
serve as their own form of stand-alone
commentary. For this, he earned fi rst
place, Editorial Cartooning — for
the December 2017 column, “Happy
Holidays From the Moral High
Ground,” in which he depicted two
Republican presidents as characters
from a beloved Dickens classic. “I felt
the use of Donald Trump and Richard
Nixon as Ebenezer Scrooge and Jacob
Marley was very appropriate for this
point in time,” wrote the judge. In the
same category, The Brooklyn Paper
took second place, and The Villager
was awarded third place. Bonus fact
for our conspiracy-minded readers:
Trump was a visual reference in each
of the three winning cartoons. We
swear it wasn’t a coordinated effort!
Chelsea Now’s coverage marking
the one-year anniversary of September
17, 2016’s bombing of W. 23rd St., and
attempted bombing of W. 27th St., was
recognized for its “strong content and
photos,” which were used to “tell the
story. Beginning, middle and end were
well thought out,” wrote the judge,
who gave this coverage fi rst place
in the category of Special Sections/
Niche Publications. The 12-page section featured a timeline review of the
bombing and its aftermath (compiled
by Stiffler and drawing upon three
week’s worth of coverage in 2016,
that part of the section featured photos by, among others, Daniel Kwak,
Zach Williams, and Tequila Minsky).
Elsewhere in the section, Dusica Sue
Malesevic wrote about the work of fi rst
responders from the NYPD, FIT, and
Penn South on the night of the bombing; Sean Egan compiled a timeline
about the search, capture, and charges
against the bombing suspect; Eileen
Stukane revisited the small businesses
she fi rst wrote about in 2016 that
were impacted by the closure of W.
23rd St., between Sixth and Seventh
Aves.; and then-Councilmember (now
Speaker) Corey Johnson (who was
in the area when the explosion happened) recalled his interactions that
night with area residents, law enforcement, the FDNY, and, through a series
NYPA continued on p. 25
NYC Community Media

Nine Revolting Rebekah Mercers — In One Museum!
BY SYDNEY PEREIRA
The Revolting Lesbians were back
on the steps of the American Museum
of Natural History on Friday, and they
weren’t afraid to get kicked out or even
have the cops called on them. In fact,
that was partially their goal.
The Friday the 13th “horror show”
was a demonstration against Rebekah
Mercer — a museum trustee who has
donated to various climate change denial groups, owns half of the website
Breitbart, and is a board member of the
data firm Cambridge Analytica.
“It’s outrageous,” said Amanda Lugg,
a member of the Revolting Lesbians,
which formed last November to follow
the money of right-wing organizations.
“This institution is basically giving her
a legitimacy and a cover and an aura of
respectability that she doesn’t deserve.”
Nine protesters wearing floor-length
black robes with masks of Rebekah
Mercer solemnly marched through the
museum late in the afternoon Friday.
They began their march in the Akeley
Hall of African Mammals near the elephants. The group — which had some
dozen security officers monitoring the
procession — marched in a single file
line, humming and chanting: “Why
am I a trustee here?” and “I do not
belong at the American Natural History
Museum.”
After exiting, they stood on the steps
facing Central Park West, continuing
to chant: “Rebekah Mercer is killing
our planet, get her off the board goddammit!”
“They wanted us out as quickly as
possible,” said Lugg, who was not wearing a robe, but explained to the security
guards why the protesters were marching. “We wanted out just as slow as
possible.”
A nearby security guard murmured
into a walkie-talkie, telling a colleague
that the group was chanting and humming softly in the hallway. Another one
told Lugg that they would have to call the
police if they didn’t leave. She responded, “Well, that’s kind of what we want.”
That revelation, Lugg added, “kind of
stumped him.”
The group’s demand is that the museum remove Mercer from the board of
trustees. But the demonstrators’ second
goal is much broader than that. Many
people do not know who Mercer is
or that she serves as a trustee of the
museum.
“We’re trying to be creative and think
of any way that’s different to reach different people,” said Anne Maguire, another
protester among the Revolting Lesbians.
NYC Community Media

The Friday the 13th horror show theme
would help expose who she is, and “she
is a horror,” said Maguire.
Maguire and others hope the recent
focus in the news cycle on the data
firm Cambridge Analytica’s involvement
with scraping data from tens of millions
of people on Facebook will help people “connect the dots.” Mercer’s father,
Robert Mercer, is a major investor of
the firm, and Rebekah Mercer serves on
the board.
The billionaire heiress has donated
more than $48 million to groups promoting climate change denial, according to
the group’s review of the Mercer Family
Foundation’s 990 tax forms from 2005
to 2016. She also served on President
Donald Trump’s transition team alongside Steve Bannon and Kellyanne

Conway. Late last year, Mercer and her
sisters acquired the stake their father
sold in the Breitbart website, known for
promoting alt-right content during the
2016 presidential election and since.
“She’s flying under the radar,” said
Jo Macellaro, another member of the
Revolting Lesbians. She added that if
someone with a bigger name — such as
Trump or Bannon — were on the board,
then “people would be furious.”
When asked about Mercer’s potential influence on scientific information
in the museum, a spokesperson for the
museum said that is not the responsibility of trustees.
“It’s not the role of Trustees or donors
to make decisions about scientific and
educational content,” Scott Rohan,
senior publicist at the museum, said by
email. “At the Museum, those decisions
are made by scientists and educators
based on evidence, facts, and research.”

Rohan added, “As a scientific and educational institution, the Museum believes
that human-induced climate change is
well-supported by scientific evidence and
is one of the most serious issues currently
facing our planet. We are deeply committed to presenting evidence-based, scientific information about climate change to
a broad public. That has included, and
continues to include, exhibitions, educational and public programs, scientific
research, and content in our permanent
halls, including updating content where
we have new scientific information.”
The Revolting Lesbians are planning
their next actions on Earth Day, April
22 at the museum’s entrance. Back in
January, the group protested outside the
museum with the same demands, as
NYC Community Media earlier reported. Their campaign to remove Mercer
from the board won’t stop until she is
removed as a trustee or resigns herself.

10 Indicted for Stealing $500K Via Check Fraud, Mail Theft
BY DUSICA SUE MALESEVIC
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office last
week indicted 10 people accused of stealing more
than $500,000 from various banks through a scheme
that involved check fraud and mail theft, according
to court documents and a press release.
“US mail dates back to 1775 but remains a vehicle for complex frauds like identity theft in 2018,”
District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. said in the Tues.,
April 10 press release announcing the indictment.
The defendants allegedly orchestrated “an elaborate check fraud scheme that included altering
checks stolen at random from the mail,” Vance said.
He added, “What’s more, the defendants knowingly recruited disadvantaged New Yorkers in desperate need of cash at homeless shelters and public
assistance offices in order to broaden their scheme.”
From around May 2011 to October 2017, Craig
Haffaney, 48, Andre Evans, 54, and James Anderson,
31, paid those they recruited to set up bank accounts
and then to hand over their debit cards and personal information, according to the New York State
Supreme Court indictment and the release.
The three men, Nyomi Anderson, 37, and Dorrinda
Bell, 63, allegedly used the bank accounts to deposit
forged checks, and then withdrew money before the
banks rejected the checks, according to court papers.
The defendants are accused of running this scam at
TD Bank, Capital One Bank, Bank of America and
Citibank, according to the indictment. Court papers
show a separate but related scheme allegedly involv-

6

April 19, 2018

File photo by Scott Stiffler

A familiar sight on area side streets: Steep steps make it difficult to bring heavy mail carts into buildings. Unattended, they provide opportunities for theft.

ing fraudulent wire transfers at USALLIANCE
Financial.
“Mr. Haffaney and his ‘crew’ thought they were
very clever when they stalked [United States] Postal
[Service] employees and stole US mail from USPS
satchel (push) carts. They were looking for checks
to fund their bank fraud scam,” Philip R. Bartlett,

inspector in charge of the New York division for the
United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS),
said in the release.
He added, “Let me be crystal clear, if you steal the
mail you’re going to jail.”
INDICTED continued on p. 15

NYC Community Media

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7

Bella Abzug Remembered on Bank Street
BY PAUL SCHINDLER
Bella Savitzky Abzug, who with
her election to the US House of
Representatives in 1970 from a West
Side district became the embodiment
of the rising political voice of Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
women, was honored in March, the
20th anniversary of her 1998 death,
with a street naming at the corner of
Bank Street and Greenwich Avenue in
the West Village. Abzug, who was born
in the Bronx in 1920 and raised there,
lived at 37 Bank Street for 20 years.
Abzug won election as a progressive,
anti-war reformer in an upset primary victory over longtime Democratic
Congressmember Leonard Farbstein.
Though her district was then eliminated after Census-dictated redistricting, Abzug went on to serve two
more terms in a configured West
Side district. In 1976, she chose not
to seek reelection, instead waging a
Democratic primary fight for the US
Senate, which she narrowly lost to
Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who went
on to serve there for 24 years. In 1977,
Abzug fell just short of making it into
the mayoral primary run-off that pitted Mario Cuomo against the victor,

Courtesy of Liz Abzug

At the street naming ceremony last month, Comptroller Scott Stringer, Liz Abzug,
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, and Eve Abzug hold up the sign for Bella S.
Abzug Way.

her fellow House member Ed Koch,
who served at City Hall for 12 years.
Abzug was known for her relentless advocacy of peace, labor and civil
rights, and other progressive causes
â&#x20AC;&#x201D; as well as striking hats with which
she cut an indelible figure. She was the
fi rst member of Congress to introduce

gay rights legislation, her approach
being a full-scale incorporation of
sexual orientation into the protections
afforded by the 1964 Civil Rights Act
against discrimination based on race,
religion, sex, and other categories.
Curiously, for many years after that,
the LGBTQ community pursued a

narrower focus on winning employment protections only. It was not
until 2015, with the introduction of
the Equality Act, that LGBTQ advocates and their allies on Capitol Hill
returned to the comprehensive vision
Abzug laid out 41 years earlier.
At the street-naming ceremony for
Bella S. Abzug Way on March 29,
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson
said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;She was a strong voice with a
thick New York accent for those who
needed her most, namely the poor and
marginalized. Bella was truly ahead of
her time, championing issues like gay
and civil rights well before many of
her peers. Those issues are still very
much relevant today, and I am delighted that her legacy will live on forever
at the corner she called home with her
family, friends, and constituentsâ&#x20AC;Ś It
is an honor well deserved for a true
New York icon.â&#x20AC;?
City Comptroller Scott Stringer
said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bella Abzug was a role model
for so many women who were blocked
from entry into the corridors of power.
She was a tireless, tough-as-nails trailblazer, who embodied the very best of
New York. As a leader and advocate

$"
""#
!

"
"
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8

April 19, 2018

NYC Community Media

Courtesy of Liz Abzug

Bella Abzug, 1920-1998, was the most potent embodiment of womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s political power when she arrived in Congress in January 1971.

for peace, for labor, for civil rights and
gender equality, she never hesitated to
speak out.â&#x20AC;?
Abzugâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two daughters, Eve and Liz
Abzug, in a joint statement, said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;My
sister and I are thrilled that our great

mom is fi nally getting the recognition in her beloved Village and on the
street where our family joyfully lived
and which was part of the district she
represented as a congresswoman in
the 1970s.â&#x20AC;?

How to Hang
Photos and
Artwork with Ease
Personal touches turn a house into
a home. Hanging pictures, whether
theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re personal photographs or artwork, can really change the character of a room.
Unfortunately, some people may
not know the proper ways to display
pictures on a wall. Design maven
Martha Stewart advises that the first
step is to gather all of the pictures
that are in consideration for hanging. This will enable a person to see
what is available and edit his selection based on the space available,
theme, or color scheme. Having the
artwork there enables a person to
move it around like a puzzle until
the placement feels just right.

TILE

Next, plan on hanging artwork at
57 inches on center, according to
the renovation experts at Apartment
Therapy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;On centerâ&#x20AC;? means the
middle of the photograph or painting will always be at 57 inches,
since this measurement represents
the average human eye height. This
height is regularly used as a standard
in many galleries and museums.
When the goal is to hang multiple
pictures, treat the entire grouping
as a single unit. This means creating the layout and finding the center
of the middle piece of the grouping.
To make picture grouping easier,
use paper templates with arrows to
indicate whether the artwork will

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Many might associate the number 57 with Heinz ketchup, but it actually refers to the
ideal height at which artwork should be hung.

be hung horizontally or vertically.
These templates can then be easily
taped to the wall and rearranged
until the grouping is ideal.
There are no hard-and-fast rules
concerning frames, meaning they
do not all have to match. But placing framed artwork side-by-side can
give a person a feel for whether the
images and the frames work together
in the space. Some people like to use
frames of similar colors and sizes.
Others want the eclectic mix-andmatch appeal. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ultimately up to
the homeowner.
Measuring is key to hanging a
picture correctly on the wall. Take
into consideration the type of attachment, whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s D-rings, sawtooth
hangers, wire or other fasteners on
the back. Measure from the top of
the frame to the hanger. Measure the
wall to achieve the 57-inch on center
location, and then calculate where
this falls within the height of the artwork and frame top. Adjust accord-

ingly and mark. Then measure the
distance from the frame top to the
hanger location on the wall.
Be sure to take the weight of
the picture into consideration when
selecting hanging hardware. Wall
anchors may be needed if measurements determine a wall stud will
not help secure the artwork â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to
keep the frame sturdy in the drywall. Home-improvement resource
Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Homeowner also suggests
attaching self-adhesive rubber bumpers to the bottom corners of the
frameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s back before hanging so that
the picture will not damage the wall
and to help it hang level.
It can take a few attempts to hang
pictures correctly, but with practice
it should come with greater ease.
The good news is there are new
products constantly being evolved to
make picture hanging easier, including those that enable removal and
relocation of artwork without damaging walls.
NYC Community Media

NYC Community Media

April 19, 2018

11

Riders Caught Unawares by UWS Shuttering of B, C Stations
BY SYDNEY PEREIRA
Four Upper West Side subway stations are getting a makeover this summer â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but for some, the changes hardly seem substantial and were wholly
unanticipated, and the lengthy station
closures could cause a bump in train
crowds along the 1, 2, and 3 lines.
Four stations along the B and C lines
will be entirely shut down as part of the
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Enhanced Station Initiativeâ&#x20AC;? renovations at the 72nd St., 86th St., 110th St.,
and 163rd St. stations. The Cathedral
Parkway-110th St. station closed on
Apr. 9, and the 163rd St.-Amsterdam
Ave. station shuttered a few weeks
prior.
Many riders at the 72nd St. station
had no clue that they are next.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had no idea,â&#x20AC;? said William Cohen,
76, an architect who lives off the 125th
St. stop. He takes the B and C trains,
but luckily for him, most of his day-today activities involve express stops not
affected by renovations. Upon hearing
the news that the 72nd St. station would
be closing come May 7, he said itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;disconcertingâ&#x20AC;? the stations will be shut
down for so much time without notice.
Though the MTA announced the
closures last year, many riders did not

Courtesy of Councilmember Mark Levineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Offi ce

Councilmember Mark Levine, with Assemblymember Daniel Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnell to the left in
the picture, at an Apr. 9 demonstration outside the shuttered Cathedral Parkway110th St. station, protesting the lack of any disability access improvements during
the B and C line renovations.

know their stations would be closing
â&#x20AC;&#x201D; often citing unclear signage in the
stations.
The 72nd St. station will close May
7, and the 86th St. station will close
Jun. 4. Both are expected to re-open
in October. The stations at 110th and
163rd will be closed until September.
The four stations are getting major
upgrades during the shutdowns, includ-

ing more countdown clocks, Wi-Fi, USB
ports, and better lighting. Despite the
lengthy disruptions, the renovations will
not include elevator installations at any
stations, but accessibility for people
with visual disabilities will be improved
with the application of yellow tactile
strips at the edge of the platform. The
lengthy station closures are a part of the
Metropolitan Transportation Authorityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

so-called â&#x20AC;&#x153;top to bottom approach,â&#x20AC;?
renovating stations quicker over a fullshutdown period, rather than stretching
work out over nights and weekends.
But nearly one year after the renovations were first announced, critics of
the plan are saying that the renovations
arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough.
Upper West Side City Councilmember
Mark Levine recently launched a petition (at marklevine.nyc/bc_shutdown_
petition) calling on the MTA to provide
monthly status updates on the renovations to community boards, add temporary shuttle buses along the affected
subway routes, increase bus service
along the M10 Central Park West route,
and develop a strategy for reaching full
rider accessibility at the stations. The
petition has received hundreds of signatures, and the day the 110th St. station
was closed he rallied alongside transit
and disability advocates, State Senator
Brian Benjamin, and Assemblymember
Daniel Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnell.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Full station renovation, if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re
lucky, happens once a generation,â&#x20AC;?
Levine said.
The six or so month shutdowns will
improve the stations, no doubt, but
Levine questioned why they would last

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that many months with no elevator
installations. He added that there are
entrances into these stations that have
long been sealed, and there is no clear
plan as to whether those entrances will
be re-opened after the renovation.
“It’s another missed opportunity
to re-open those entrances,” he said.
“We’re really dismayed that the renovation plan does nothing to improve service or accessibility.”
Much of the renovations, he said,
focus on station aesthetics.
The MTA is expected to increase
M10 bus service to make up for the B/ C
line curtailment, but the agency did not
respond to Manhattan Express’ request
for clarity on how much the service
would be increased. The Transportation
Committee of Community Board 7 is
also requesting shuttle service between
shuttered stations and that the MTA
monitor the 1, 2, and 3 lines regarding the potential need for increased
service.
One rider, Meg Lupardo, 70, who
lives off the 72nd St. station, mostly
takes the C train. Lupardo, who works
as a patient actor for medical school
students, has assignments at various
locations along the B and C lines. She
said she’ll likely end up walking the
extra few blocks over to the 1, 2, and 3
lines, though she expects those trains to
be packed.
“If it’s too crowded, I won’t be able
to get the train,” she said, but added,
“We’re lucky we have the 1, 2, 3.”
Most CB 7 members support the
renovations because of the expected
improvements they will bring, according to Andrew Albert, the co-chair of
the board’s Transportation Committee.
Albert said the committee was able to
secure agreement from the MTA to
make three-legged transfer cards available, so riders can request a free pass if

Photos by Sydney Pereira

The 72nd St. B & C station on Central
Park West, which will close for at least
five months for renovations, beginning
on May 9.

they have to transfer twice as a result of
the renovations.
“Of course, we wish every station
would be accessible,” Albert said. But
he added that “this is not the end of
the line for accessibility if it doesn’t go
in now.”
Edith Prentiss, the president of
Disabled in Action, isn’t so sure about
that. Prentiss, who rallied alongside
Levine on Apr. 9, recognizes the difficulties of installing elevators at every
station from an architectural and space
standpoint. But the lack of any elevator installation plans whatsoever is
unsettling, considering how few and far
between renovations occur.
She warned it could be another 50
to 75 years before the MTA gets back
around to these Upper West Side stops.
By not building any elevators this time,
“you’re really condemning generations
to this lack of accessibility,” Prentiss
said.

A sign in the 72nd St. station warns riders that the 110th St. station is closed, but
makes no mention that service will be curtailed for months at this station beginning
in May.
NYC Community Media

April 19, 2018

13

PIER PLANS continued from p. 2

the bike lanes could accommodate the increased traffic. Wils said while they will rebuild the esplanade, the
state Department of Transportation was responsible for
expanding the bike path. She also hoped Con Edison
could be persuaded to relocate some of their equipment
further west, to allow for safe expansion. Bernadette
Consigliere, of W. 54th St., said she would like to see
a West Side Highway crossover bridge created for the
safety of the many children who would likely use the new
parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s amenities.
Wils and Quinn helped the community visualize possibilities by pointing out successful programming on
similar piers. They pointed to Pier 25, which Wils called,
â&#x20AC;&#x153;the most densely-used pier we have,â&#x20AC;? and showed how
the urban skate park there was valuable, as it reduced
the wear and tear from street skaters on the rest of the
park.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Certain uses get repeated just because they are so
popular,â&#x20AC;? Wils noted â&#x20AC;&#x201D; among them, playgrounds and
ball courts. Quinn assured that these items were high on
the list for Pier 97, and agreed with WPE member Brett
Firfer that breezes coming off the water impacted play
on mid-pier basketball courts, saying this amenity might
be better suited to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;uplandâ&#x20AC;? area. And although they
want Pier 97 to be a place for recreation, they do intend
to save space at the end for small bands to play, similar
to Friday Night Salsa on Pier 45, which attracts nearly
1,000 people.
Designers say they are targeting Pier 97 for â&#x20AC;&#x153;activeâ&#x20AC;?
recreation, rather than â&#x20AC;&#x153;passiveâ&#x20AC;? recreation like picnicking, sunbathing, or ecologically-based education, in
places where neighboring piers or parks already provide

these amenities. Nearby Clinton Cove provides lots of
â&#x20AC;&#x153;passiveâ&#x20AC;? recreation spots for seniors and young families,
as does Riverside Park South, right across the highway.
Notwithstanding, HRPT is still intent on showing how
the style of new items could be meshed into existing elements (the science playground on Pier 26, for example,
features large sturgeon sculptures; and the Chelsea
Waterside Playground will get a large pike fish installed
next week). Wils believes that the theme of local wildlife
could carry over to some elements on Pier 97.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Different activities than the norm is what we should
be looking for,â&#x20AC;? LeFrancois said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The playground area
is important, and we would hope they could bring some
new sea creature to that.â&#x20AC;?
Some ideas were rejected, including a proposed satellite site of the New York Aquarium (once located at the
southern tip of Battery Park), as Wils noted that building construction must be limited to 12,000 feet. WPE
Co-Chair Maarten de Kadt suggested an alternative: an

â&#x20AC;&#x153;eyeâ&#x20AC;? under the water, to allow passers-by to look in on
marine life.
Kathleen Treat wondered if there was room for softball Little League, but Wils informed her that while
T-Ball practice space was available, the footprint of the
pier was just too narrow to accommodate a full-sized
ball field.
And a suggested sculpture garden by David Holowka
was panned, as it would take up a lot of room for â&#x20AC;&#x153;passiveâ&#x20AC;? recreation in an area intended for â&#x20AC;&#x153;activeâ&#x20AC;? community recreation. As LeFrancois put it, â&#x20AC;&#x153;a backyard park
that meets the needs of our neighborhood.â&#x20AC;?
Innovative ideas abounded. Marc Hirschfeld of W.
53rd St. suggested they form an ersatz sundial, using a
lamppost and markings on the ground.
David Tillyer, longtime advocate for DeWitt Clinton
Park, pointed out their capacity-filled baseball diamonds,
half-basketball courts and water playground, saying
designers should â&#x20AC;&#x153;make sure [the parks] complement
each other.â&#x20AC;?
Isaac Astarchan, Second Vice President of the
Downtown United Soccer Club, said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you build fields
of any size or surface, kids will play.â&#x20AC;? And a representative for local block associations urged HRPT to â&#x20AC;&#x153;think
outside the box rather than standard swing sets; find
something innovative.â&#x20AC;?
Wils said that if they are able to get their RFP out
this fall, it would take about a year for concept, design,
schematics, and permits (including a minimum 60-day
review from the Public Design Commission). If building
starts by the end of 2019, weather permitting, Pier 97
could be open to the public by early 2021.
Said Allison Tupper of W. 43rd St., â&#x20AC;&#x153;It all sounds terrific!â&#x20AC;?

Haffaney and Evans allegedly
â&#x20AC;&#x153;directed co-conspirators to steal mail
in order to obtain checks that could be
altered for use in the scheme,â&#x20AC;? according to the release.
Four mail carts were stolen in the
Chelsea area, including one cart full
of mail that was swiped on W. 19th
St. between Sixth and Seventh Aves.
in January. It was later found empty,
Chelsea Now reported in February.
The January theft spurred resident
concern about the safety of the mail,
with one resident getting their checks
stolen and a suspect unsuccessfully
trying to cash it.
The 10 defendants were â&#x20AC;&#x153;all collusive in the theft of the mail,â&#x20AC;? USPIS
spokesperson Donna Harris said by
phone. The USPIS is the federal law
enforcement arm of the postal service.
Harris said the defendants were
allegedly responsible for stealing
the four mail carts. The DAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office
declined to comment. Lieutenant John
Grimpel, an NYPD spokesperson,
referred questions confirming the cart
thefts to the postal inspection service
and the DAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office.
Grimpel did confirm in an email
that â&#x20AC;&#x153;at least 19 mail carts have

been stolen... since the summer,â&#x20AC;?
11 of which were south of 59th St.
between Oct. 2 and March 15, which
the New York Post reported in a
March 26 article.
The mail cart thefts were not part
of the indictment, and Harris said
later in an email, â&#x20AC;&#x153;As to why the mail
charge is not listed or how we know
they are responsible, those details are
part of the investigation and will not
be disclosed.â&#x20AC;?
She added, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Their alleged offenses have impacted US Postal Service
employees and the many customers
who place their trust in the US mail.
We hope this arrestâ&#x20AC;Ś sends a strong
message to anyone who steals the mail
and then uses it to steal from our customers; we will fi nd you and bring you
to justice.â&#x20AC;?
The 10 defendants â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who include
Eric Benson, 68, Atanda Nuraina, 58,
Dierdre Johnson, 44, Kendra Golden,
44, and Darline Gregory, 45 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; face
several counts including grand larceny
in the second degree, criminal possession of stolen property in the third
degree, and scheme to defraud in the
first degree, according to the indictment.
They have been arraigned and are
scheduled to appear next in court on
May 30, according to the DAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office.

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Vegetables and herbs are grown at the Inner City Farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s garden on the roof of 205 W. 39th St.

for years, bringing in speakers
to talk about the topic as well
as partnering with several organizations to tackle the issue in
Midtown. Mudd said he also has
been working on a study about
the homeless and housing.
In a project that dovetails
with that effort, Mudd has created a rooftop garden proposal that also includes estimated
budgets.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a huge puzzle and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all
ever-linking,â&#x20AC;? he said in a phone
interview.
A rooftop garden could
provide numerous benefits
â&#x20AC;&#x201D; including nutritious food
and job opportunities â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for
those who are homeless, Mudd
explained.
Initially, the idea was to have
a rooftop garden at the Midtown
South Precinct â&#x20AC;&#x201D; located at 357
W. 35th St. (btw. Eighth &
Ninth Aves.).
Mudd said that while they
are still pursuing that idea, he
hopes to â&#x20AC;&#x153;fi nd a rooftop soon
to catch the season,â&#x20AC;? and they
have expanded their search to
schools, churches, and munici-

The Church of Saint Luke in the Fields
487 Hudson Street (bet. Christopher & Grove), New York, NY

16

April 19, 2018

NYC Community Media

Photo by Winnie McCroy

John Mudd, president of the Midtown South Community
Council, recently talked about his rooftop garden project at a CB4 committee meeting.

pal buildings — and are now focused on shelters. Mudd said he recently emailed the Bowery
Residents’ Committee, known as BRC (131 W. 25th
St., btw. Sixth & Seventh Aves.), to see if there is
interest in a rooftop garden.
He also had a meeting with Services for the
UnderServed, a nonprofit that has an Urban Farms
program that has “more than 40 growing spaces in
four boroughs, including eight community farms,”
according to its website.
“We met with them — that might be a great fit,”
Mudd said.
Winter, who is also the urban farm director for the
MSCC, said that the Services for the UnderServed’s
Urban Farms gets people to work while teaching
them skills as well as showing the therapeutic quality of farming.
Mudd and Winter talked about rooftop gardens
at Community Board 4’s Waterfront, Parks & the
Environment Committee meeting on Thurs., April
12.
“The community board seems to be wholeheartedly behind stuff like this,” Mudd said afterwards.
Winter added, “I thought they were encouraging
and enthusiastic.”
The committee offered to a put information about
the rooftop farm project on the board’s website, and
Mudd said board members as well as those attending
the meeting may have contacts and connections that
could be helpful. At the meeting, it was suggested
that they reach out to the Hell’s Kitchen South
Coalition and Penn South.
Winter noted at the meeting that rooftop farms
could help with the area’s air quality — with
the Lincoln Tunnel and the Port Authority Bus
Terminal in the neighborhood, air quality has been
a source of concern and an issue the community is
focused on.
Both Winter and Mudd said they wanted to involve
kids and families in some way, with Winter saying
that she might give tours of her rooftop garden.
Mudd said he hopes to replicate the rooftop garden model as much as possible, and Winter said that
she is also interested in helping out on smaller projects — even if it is planting one pot.
“I’d be delighted to do that,” she said.
For more information on the organizations and
programs mentioned in this article, visit innercityfarmer.com, midtownsouthcc.org, brc.org, thedwellingplaceofny.org, mbcnyc.org, sus.org, and nyc.gov/
mcb4.
—Additional reporting by Winnie McCroy
NYC Community Media

MAX

April 19, 2018

17

Tangible and Social Virtual Reality
Tribeca Immersive 2018 is much more than goggles
BY CHARLES BATTERSBY
The stereotype of Virtual Reality
(VR) is an isolated person sitting alone
in a room, their head sealed within a
helmet, master of a lonesome utopia.
Early efforts at VR often met this cliché
— but the “Tribeca Immersive” programming at the Tribeca Film Festival
(TFF; tribecafilm.com) aims to make
virtual reality a more tangible and social
experience. Tribeca Immersive includes
a Virtual Arcade of VR experiences
(Apr. 20-28), along with a festival of
films shot in 360 degrees. Both are running at the same time at TFF this month
(Apr. 18-29), and will give even hardcore VR users an excuse to leave home
and experience these site-specific installations at the festival’s headquarters.
Almost any smartphone can be converted to a VR rig, but the top-end
hardware continues to grow more elaborate. In the last two years, Tribeca
Immersive had experiences that used
motion-sensing controllers, and digital
cameras that recorded the user’s movements around a room. This year, the
event goes even further, with VRs that
stimulate the senses using scent, heat,
and elaborate physical set pieces.
Loren
Hammonds,
Senior
Programmer of Film and Immersive
at TFF, pointed out that at the Virtual
Arcade, “We like to offer audiences a
sense of immersion before they put on
the headset. So we give all the artists the
opportunity to craft their own spaces to
speak to the experience you’re about to
have before you put on the headset.”
A prominent project is “Hero,” which
unfetters the user by putting all of
the VR equipment in a backpack, and
allows users to move around freely in
a simulated Syrian neighborhood. We
spoke to the co-creator of the project,
Navid Khonsari, who said that “Hero”
will “push VR to be as immersive as
possible, but also to be a project that has
real impact to show people what it’s like
in another part of the world.”
Another VR experience that addresses social themes while still pushing the
use of technology is “The Day the World
Changed,” which takes place in a recreation of Hiroshima. Gabo Arora, cocreator of the project, said it is a “social

18

April 19, 2018

Images courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival

The Tribeca Film Festival will have an early look at the recently announced “Shadow of the Tomb Raider” game.

“Into the Now” is more than just sharks — but it has those, too.

interactive Virtual Reality documentary” which addresses nuclear weapons
and allows users to experience life in
Hiroshima the day of the atomic bombing at the end of World War II. Rather
than being a passive, lonely experience,
Arora pointed out that this is a rare
example of a VR experience for multiple
simultaneous users. “You’re doing this
with three other people, so the whole
concept of going through a documentary inside the documentary with other
people who are also avatars gives it a
whole new relationship of what a shared

experience with history can be.”
New Yorkers can also get a look at
their hometown with several projects
set in New York. “Fire Escape” puts
users on a simulated fire escape in
Crown Heights, but the installation at
Tribeca will use a real fire escape so that
it will feel authentic even when users are
inside the helmet.
New York’s theater community
helped inspire “objects in mirror AR
closer than they appear.” It’s based
on a show at the New York Theatre
Workshop, and uses many aesthetic

elements of the theatrical set. It also
has “Augmented Reality” features that
superimpose digital objects over the real
set. Graham Sack, one of the creators of
the piece, noted that many VR festivals
“have a binary nature. You’re either in
the headset or not in it… We wanted
to create something that was the exact
opposite of that.” The experience, Sack
noted, “has this open floor plan, so
many people can interact with this at
once, both with headsets and without
the headsets.”
“BattleScar” is set in the 1970s, so
modern people can walk the streets of
the Lower East Side as it was 40 years
ago. It is about an immigrant exploring
the punk scene when this was a new
subculture. Because of the interactive
nature, users can experience this from a
more personal point of view.
Fred Volhuer, CEO of Atlas V, the
company behind “BattleScar,” explained
to us, “From a creative perspective VR
allows [users] to identify more with the
character, and put the user in a position
they could never be in with a flat screen.”
Another perspective that people rarely
get is a close-up view of sharks. “Into the
TRIBECA continued on p. 24
NYC Community Media

We Are The Champions
Documentary compels us to respect the art of industrial musicals
BY SCOTT STIFFLER
Powered by a personal journey
as eccentric and endearing as the
show business subset it plumbs with
the precision of a forensic investigator, the documentary “Bathtubs
Over Broadway” — Dava Whisenant’s
quirky and compassionate directorial
debut — wants you to see the world of
industrial musicals through the eyes
of a cynic who blinked in the face of
sincerity. It’s not a tough sell.
If you don’t know what an industrial musical is, you’re far from alone.
In the three decades or so during
America’s post-World War II economic boom, the relentless quest for profit
meant companies like GE, Pepsi, and
Ford needed a way to train employees and keep the sales staff motivated. Musical theater extravaganzas designed to entertain and inform
could have budgets that exceeded
what it took to mount an actual
Broadway show — and became a place
where composers, lyricists, choreographers, and performers honed their
skills (including Sheldon Harnick,
Susan Stroman, Martin Short, and
Chita Rivera, all of whom appear in
the fi lm to contribute pithy, heartfelt
observations). While the careers of
many flourished beyond the industrial musical circuit, some its greatest contributors remain unsung — an
injustice the fi lm and its evangelizing
protagonist are driven, by moral obligation as much as artistic appreciation, to correct.
With catchy music and productspecific lyrics (one song was tasked
with working in dozens of uses for
silicone), these shows were often performed only once, to a highly select
audience, and then forgotten. But
a fraction of the souvenir LPs and
ephemera survived. Sometimes, an
album made its way to a used record
shop — and that’s how the industrial
musical was rescued from the scrap
heap of history by an unlikely champion.
In the early part of what would
become a 25-year career writing
comedy for David Letterman, Steve
Young was tasked with digging up
oddball audio clips for a 1980s bit
called “Dave’s Record Collection.”
One of Young’s fi nds, the title track
to the show “My Insurance Man,”
was appraised on air by Letterman
NYC Community Media

Photo by Nick Higgins

Steve Young makes the soul-nurturing trip from ironic detachment to sincere belief in “Bathtubs Over Broadway.”

as “actually more annoying than my
insurance man.” When heard in small
doses as the set-up for dismissive
comedy snark, such clips are, Young
admits, “bizarre and hilarious.” But
those, he notes, “are only the beginning layers” — and that’s where the
fi lm pivots to a place of unexpected
emotional depth.
“I did take great glee, from the
beginning, in enjoying something that
I wasn’t supposed to hear,” Young
told this publication in a recent phone
interview. “I couldn’t wait to tell people about it, and show people what I
found. I still feel that way now,” he
said, of what he declares in the fi lm to
be a “hyper-American art form.”
With few friends outside of the
Letterman show and a self-diagnosed
case of “comedy damage” that denied
him the ability to consume humor
in the manner the masses do with
ease, the world of industrial musicals — similar to his day job in many
respects (a tight-knit community serving the general population, yet cut off
from it) — was a perfect match for
Young’s off-kilter outlook and obsessive nature. But a funny thing happened as songs from “Diesel Dazzle”
(a 1966 show from the Detroit Diesel

division of General Motors) played in
constant mental rotation. He became
a passionate collector who was smitten by, as he told us, “the weird,
unexpected beauty; programs, tickets,
playbills — the wonderful professionalism of it all.”
Soon, Young was able to distinguish, and happy to celebrate, the
nuances between genre greats. “It varies,” he told us, regarding those who
worked in teams and those known
for solo efforts. “Some of my great
heroes were purely the music and
lyric people, and somebody else was

writing the book.” (Hank Beebe and
Bill Heyer created “Diesel Dazzle,”
while, for example, Sid Siegel penned
all aspects of 1969’s “The Bathrooms
are Coming!,” an ode to new fi xtures
from American Standard.)
“Some especially talented and
ambitious people really had the vision
for the whole thing and could carry
it off,” Young noted of Siegel, while
“Hank Beebe’s late partner, Bill
Heyer, was a great talent in comedy
and would write the whole show, not
BATHTUBS continued on p. 27

Beware the Coarsening
How the h-e double hockey sticks did we get here?
BY MAX BURBANK
Fair warnings: First, the column you
are reading is about bad behavior, moral
blindness, and filthy language. As such,
we need to spend a moment discussing
the rendering of cuss words; a matter
I have given perhaps more thought to
than strictly necessary.
Used for decades in newspaper
comic strips, I considered the classic #!*@&%!! — but that offered no
way to indicate specific nuggets of potty-mouth parlance, and I’m going to
need to reference more than a few. I
toyed briefly with alternate spellings,
like “phuck” or “azwhole” — but that
seemed a tad too twee and precious,
the sort of tawdry literary trick a man
who described things as “a tad too twee
and precious” might use. I’ve settled
on inserting random hyphens into bad
words, because you can still totally tell
what they are and, also, that’s how
CNN does it. Hey, CNN! That’s a
swell f---ing idea!
Second, I’m aware that since
the FBI raid on Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen,
we have entered into a moment
of unprecedented political volatility. By the time you read this, the
world I wrote it in might be irrelevant.
The president could’ve fired Special
Counsel Robert Mueller or Deputy
Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, or
forgone actual firing and literally set
fire to Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Maybe, instead, we rained fire and fury
on Syria, presumably after warning
the Russians so they could leave whatever strategically insignificant field we
selected as a target so that none of their
soldiers got an owie — but who knows?
Oh, hey, look, we did do that, WHILE
I WAS TYPING! Are we under martial
law yet, or have America and western
democracy themselves been saved by
the timely actions of a porn star and her
super-badass (sorry, bad---) lawyer? Let
me check TWITTER!
In any case, I won’t be writing about
any of that, except maybe just a little at
the end to tie all my themes together
like a for-real writer. Everybody else
will cover it anyway, from the New York
Times to your disgraced Uncle Bernard
who, after a longish stint in the pokey,
has only just discovered social media. I
can’t, because at this point in my career
as a pundit, unwritten law requires me
to write a column on The Coarsening of

20

April 19, 2018

Illustration by Max Burbank

America. We’ve all done it since Elvis
Presley first lewdly waggled his leatherpantsed pelvis at the youth of America.
It’s simply my turn.
“I’m not answering your f---ing questions!” That’s what Corey Lewandowski
didn’t get held in contempt of Congress
for shouting during testimony before
the House Intelligence Committee. It’s
a little unusual to say “f---ing” to members of Congress during a hearing,
but is it significantly indicative of cultural decline? Lewandowski’s just a
minor player after all, one of the many
folks president Trump barely knew,
who worked for him briefly doing small
menial tasks like fetching coffee, running his campaign, or paying porn stars
and Playboy models hush money.
There’s an old saying: “A fish rots
from the head down.” Michael Dukakis
used it to describe the Reagan admin-

istration when he ran against Vice
President George H.W. Bush in 1988.
He lost, but the point remains. The reason a man can say “f---ing” to Congress
is because his boss, a hulking toddler
with zero impulse control and a mound
of burning garbage for a soul, says it frequently. And yes, I know Lewandowski
works for CNN these days, but Trump
is still the boss of his heart. Everybody
knows it.
It’s difficult to get accurate citations
for all the sh-t our president has talked,
because papers of record are loath to
print it verbatim. You know the biggies: “Grab ’em by the p-ssy,” “Sh-thole
countries,” “Get that son of a b-tch
off the field right now.” There’s plentiful video evidence he said way worse,
repeatedly, on the campaign trail and at
rallies since.
When the leader of a country sets the

bar that low, there are consequences.
Every dark thought and filthy utterance
you knew better than to let seep
out of your brain and tumble
out your chow hole? The leader
of the free world has already
tweeted it multiple times, probably in the last week, so go
for it!
Language is always the tip
of the spear. It seeps into the
public sphere and changes the
way we feel and behave; words
become concrete actions, and then
legislation.
If the president can talk like that in
public, what else is okay? For instance,
once upon a time if you were a
convicted criminal, you’d be too
ashamed to run for office. Now,
as long as you’re white, male, old
and Republican, a rap sheet is an
asset! Three out of the four convicted criminals currently running for Republican congressional seats are citing their crimes as
reasons you should vote for them!
Rotting fish head or no, Trump
can’t be entirely to blame. He isn’t
dragging a nation into the gutter single-handedly; he’s nowhere
near that strong. The very system he’s working so hard to
tear down has grown weak
enough to actively enable its
own destruction. The incessant assault on cultural norms
may have begun with words, but it’s far
more than speech now. The immobility in the face of Russian aggression;
the almost daily executive orders stripping away environmental protections
and workers’ rights; the genuflecting
to the gun rights lobby; the kleptocracy of presidential golf trips and hotel
chains; the nepotism; the promotion of
the astoundingly unqualified; the vast
transfer of wealth: They all lead to an
unsupportable level of chaos. When we
normalize the language, we normalize
the behavior, and invite all this.
Nixon fell, but only when his own
party had enough of him. The current
iteration of the Grand Old Party doesn’t
seem so inclined toward profiles in
courage. It’s nice to dream of being rescued by Stormy Daniels and, god save
him, Robert Mueller — but this isn’t a
movie about plucky, misfit heroes. This
is reality. We all have to consciously
decide to step away from the precipice.
NYC Community Media

NYC Community Media

April 19, 2018

21

Tribeca’s Rich Offering of Queer Cinema
Terrence McNally, Robert Mapplethorpe among ﬁlms on tap
BY GARY M. KRAMER
Unspooling at half a dozen Lower
Manhattan venues April 18-29, the
Tribeca Film Festival (tribecafilm.com)
features several LGBTQ films and filmmakers. While not every queer-focused
title was available for preview, a handful
of features, documentaries, shorts, and
special programs were.
One of the highlights of this year’s fest
is the world premiere of Jeff Kaufman’s
“Every Act of Life” (Apr. 23, 8pm; Apr.
24, 5pm; Apr. 25, 6:15pm; Apr. 26, 4pm),
a lovingly made documentary about the
esteemed playwright Terrence McNally,
tracing his life growing up in Corpus
Christi in the 1950s through his extraordinary success in the theater. McNally
candidly discusses his failed relationships
with playwright Edward Albee, closeted
in the 1950s when they were together, and
actor Robert Drivas, as well as his drinking — and how Angela Lansbury told him
to stop. McNally also shares his thoughts
about his intensely vulnerable characters
and the themes of invisibility and connection that were the basis of plays of his
such as “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair
de Lune,” among others. “Every Act of
Life” highlights many of McNally’s gay
productions, including “The Ritz,” “Love!
Valour! Compassion!,” and “Mothers and
Sons.
Though the film skimps on detailing
the controversy surrounding McNally’s
1998 “Corpus Christi” and generally
rushes through his late career work,
it features fabulous photographs, letters, and archival footage. There are
also wonderful interviews with a who’s
who of theater, including Nathan Lane,
Audra McDonald, Tyne Daly, Billy
Porter, John Glover, John Benjamin
Hickey, and many more. Though it
may seem a hagiography, “Every Act of

Life” clearly demonstrates that McNally
deserves the genuflection.
On the phone from Europe, where he
is working on a play, out gay actor Hickey
described McNally as “one of the biggest
influences in my life as an artist. He is a
writing and theatrical hero of mine. I’m
so proud to be part of the film.”
Hickey also appears on screen at
Tribeca as Sam Wagstaff, benefactor,
mentor, friend, and lover to the provocative gay artist Robert Mapplethorpe
(Matt Smith) in Ondi Timoner’s eagerly
awaited biopic, “Mapplethorpe” (Apr.
22, 9pm; Apr. 23, 8:45pm; Apr. 24,
6:30pm; Apr. 27, 9:30pm) — one of
the titles unfortunately not available
for preview. Loving the challenge of
playing a real person, Hickey said he
researched the role by reading Philip
Gefter’s biography and seeing the documentary “Black White + Gray.”
“You get to go to school,” he said.
“Research helped open doors for me to
learn about the art world in 1970s New

York. It was exploding. Sam’s collection
presaged the idea of photography as fine
art. I’m a huge fan of his taste. His eye
was downright intimidating.”
Hickey acknowledged, however, that
he didn’t identify closely with Wagstaff.
“I don’t feel we have that much in
common other than being gay New
Yorkers,” he explained. “He was such a
huge influence and cultural force in the
arts in the later part of 20th century.
It was daunting because Sam was so
incredibly handsome. He had extraordinary hair. I had Charles LaPointe make
me a wig, which I loved wearing.”
As part of Tribeca TV, the festival is
hosting the world premiere of Melissa
Haizlip’s and Samuel Pollard’s “Mr.
Soul” (Apr. 22, 8pm; Apr. 23, 5:45pm;
Apr. 25, 9:15pm; Apr. 26, 6:30pm), a
terrific documentary about the landmark late 1960s/early ’70s WNET-TV
series “Soul!,” which was made by,
for, and about African Americans. The
show’s producer and frequent host,

Ellis Haizlip, was a gay man who provided both a showcase for and a celebration of African-American singers
— Patti LaBelle, Stevie Wonder, and
Al Green among them — as well as
poet Nikki Giovanni and writer James
Baldwin. Interviewing Louis Farrakhan
on the program, Haizlip dared to ask
the leader of the Nation of Islam about
homosexuality on air. “Mr. Soul” is an
astonishing collection of interviews and
archival footage of a program that was
both of its time and ahead of its time as
one talking head suggests.
PJ Raval’s riveting documentary “Call
Her Ganda” (Apr. 19, 6pm; Apr. 20,
5pm; Apr. 21, 5:30pm; Apr. 24, 9:15pm;
Apr. 29, 8:30pm) chronicles the 2014
death of Jennifer Laude, a transgender Filipina who was murdered by US
marine Joseph Scott Pemberton. The
film, which features gender-nonbinary
journalist Meredith Talusan following
the case, addresses issues of transphobia,
US colonialism, and justice — including
some interesting wrinkles — to show
how Laude’s death exposed some painful
truths about gender-based violence.
“The Miseducation of Cameron Post”
(Apr. 22, 8 pm; Apr. 23, 6:45pm; Apr. 24,
9:30pm; Apr. 26, 3:15pm) is bisexual filmmaker Desiree Akhavan’s (“Appropriate
Behavior”) bittersweet adaptation of
Emily M. Danforth’s novel about forging
one’s independence in the face of repression. Cameron (Chloë Grace Moretz) is
a teenage lesbian who loves Coley (Quinn
Shephard). When they are caught having
sex, Cameron is sent to God’s Promise, a
gay conversion therapy center. Of course,
Cameron knows there is nothing wrong
with her, and her same-sex desires —
which she sometimes acts on — remain
unabated. It is only through the friendship
of fellow “disciples” Jane (Sasha Lane) and

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Adam (Forrest Goodluck) that she finds a way to maintain her authentic, true self. As Cameron measures herself
against her teen peers, she learns that weakness — she
experiences a series of hardships — can in the end provide
strength. “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” is a somber drama, and Moretz gives a compelling performance as
the film builds to a quietly powerful conclusion.
Another lesbian-themed film involving religious
oppression at Tribeca is “Disobedience” (Apr. 24,
8pm; Apr. 25, 7pm), co-written and directed by
Sebastian Lelio, who adapted Naomi Alderman’s
novel. When her father, Rav Krushka (Anton Lesser)
dies, Ronit (Rachel Weisz) returns to London and the
Orthodox Jewish community she abandoned. When
she reconnects with Esti (Rachel McAdams), the
childhood friend she loved, the women rekindle their
forbidden romance. Alas, despite some heat in the bedroom scenes, “Disobedience” is top-heavy with didactic speeches and obvious symbolism. The actresses do
their best, but Weisz’s performance smacks of selfimportance and McAdams is woefully miscast.
As part of the Tribeca N.O.W. Showcase, which features independent online work, the comedy web series
“Driver Ed” (Apr. 19, 8:30pm; Apr. 21, 5pm) has the
title character (co-creator Jacob A. Ware) signing up
for driving lessons because he is “living a lie.” He told
his online girlfriend that he is a professional racecar
driver — but he does not even have a license. When
he meets Sweet Jody (Eddie Diaz), sparks fly as they
put on their seat belts and Ed realizes he may be lying
about more than just driving. This deadpan series
offers three segments in its 10 minutes. Viewers will
likely be curious to see where “Driver Ed” goes next.
The Tribeca Immersive entry “Queerskins: A Love
Story” (daily, Apr. 20-28 at the Tribeca Festival Hub,
fifth fl., Spring Studios, 50 Varick St., just below Canal
St.) is a virtual reality experience that has viewers sit
in the back of a vintage 1986 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
driven through a Midwestern landscape by the parents
of Sebastian, who died of AIDS. As objects along the
route come into focus, so too does Sebastian’s life.
Illya Szilak — who co-created the interactive film
with Cyril Tsiboulski, an out gay man — hopes viewers “create their conception of who Sebastian was
through a box of objects.”
The creators chose the VR format because, Szilak
said, they were “interested in exploring the dynamic
of embodied, material, historical, political, and social
realities, and the human desire to transcend that.” The
interactive storyteller explained that the nearly twodozen objects in the box include items such as 3-D
models of vintage Tom of Finland drawings. Viewers
get to see nine of those objects in a 15-minute short.
“The box changes and acts as a placeholder for
Sebastian’s character,” Szilak explained. “The objects
are randomized, so each viewer gets a different set,
and their responses to them will differ based on the
objects and the viewer’s own personal history. You
come up with your own conception of Sebastian. If
you are Catholic, you may have a relationship to a vintage statue of Mary with a broken nose. As the viewer,
you put on a costume and enter someone’s reality. We
recognize your own history, bias, and perceptions
construct the story. It is the real playing against the
virtual, the imaginative, and memory.”
“Queerskins: A Love Story” should provide a heady
experience one can only have at the Tribeca Film
Festival.
NYC Community Media

Courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival

Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz in Sebastian Lelio’s “Disobedience.”

April 19, 2018

23

TRIBECA continued from p. 18

Now” is a documentary of ocean
wildlife, but director Michael
Muller was quick to point out that
it’s much more than just sharks.
It’s his way of encouraging people
to learn about the ocean and the
environmental problems facing it.
In his words, “People only protect
what they love.”
Penrose Studios has made
some of the longest VR experiences at previous Tribeca
Immersive events, and this year
they return with “Arden’s Wake:
Tide’s Fall,” which has a running
time of a whopping 30 minutes.
Eugene Chung of Penrose said
of it, “When making narrative
VR experience it is crucial never
to forget that you are creating
for the viewers. We are always
thinking about the consumer
experience here at Penrose, and
with a 30-minute experience, we
are currently pushing the limits
and the boundaries of VR stories.”
Among these lofty projects are
some outright silly uses of VR,
too. People who come to the
Virtual Arcade will find the farcical “Vacation Simulator,” by
Owlchemy Labs. Alex Schwartz
of Owlchemy Labs is well aware
that their comical games are oddballs at Tribeca. “It doesn’t fit
in with the other content, and
that’s by design,” he said. “At
Owlchemy, we’ve always sprinted in the opposite direction of
the expected... We’re using this
limitless, incredible technology
to simulate a satirical vacation
with a bunch of floating robots.”
More traditional games are
also being honored for their narrative and design at TFF this
year. The Tribeca Games line of
programming is giving an early
look at the upcoming “Shadow
of the Tomb Raider,” as well
as a talk with the creators of
recently released “God of War.”
Both franchises have recently
been rebooted with exceptional
results.
Many of these projects, like
“Arden’s Wake: Tide’s Fall” and
“The Day the World Changed,” are
premiering at Tribeca Immersive.
Others use new hardware and
tech that’s debuting at the festival,
too. It promises an experience
that people won’t get at home just
putting their smartphone into a
Google Cardboard VR headset.

24

April 19, 2018

Photo by Max Gordon

Note the clever capitalization in the Augmented Reality experience “objects in mirror AR close than they appear.”

Image credit: Nico Casavecchia, Martin Allais

“BattleScar” recreates the New York of the 1970s.

The new God of War game has a greater focus on the father/son narrative.

Photo via godofwar.playstation.com

NYC Community Media

NYPA continued from p. 4

of informative tweets, the world.
The fi rst page from that section contributed
to a third place win for Best Front Page, an
honor shared by Stiffler and Chelsea Now’s
Art Director, John Napoli (who’s responsible
for every aspect of this publication’s design
and layout). The judge noted that “strong art”
(i.e., dynamic photos and Napoli’s placement
techniques) “separated this entry from others.”
In addition to Headlines, this was a category
in which we were recognized alongside a CNG
sister publication. In this case, the Bay Ridge
Courier won fi rst place. Editor Vince DiMiceli
and Deputy Editor Bill Egbert (who also serves
as Editor of Downtown Express) were commended for their “strong headlines supported
by good art.”
Other publications in our company were given
much-deserved recognition for their excellence.
Bay Ridge Courier reporters Julianne Cuba and
Julianne McShane earned second place for their
coverage of the heated race to replace termlimited Councilman Vincent Gentile, which
included in-depth interviews with all the candidates. McShane and former Bay Ridge reporter
Caroline Spivack, who is now with the New
York Post, won an honorable mention for their
stories about an oil spill in Gravesend Bay.
There was a tie for fi rst place in the category
of Best Obituaries, shared by The Villager and
Gay City News. The Villager took home both
fi rst and second place for Best Column, with
Gay City News fi nishing third in that category.
Editor Lincoln Anderson, of The Villager, was
recognized with a fi rst place win for Editorials.
“This is a publication that is plugged into its
community and is taking active stands on
issues,” the judge declared, noting The Villager
is “driving momentum” on those issues and
having “impact.” The Villager was also recognized with honorable mentions for Best News or
Feature Series as well as the prestigious Thomas
G. Butson Award for In-Depth Reporting. The
Villager’s Michele Herman and Carl Rosenstein
won, respectively, fi rst and second place in the
Best Column category.
Gay City News Editor Paul Schindler shared
a third page win for Best Editorial Page, along
with regular contributors Kelly Cogswell, Susan
Day, Nathan Riley, and Ed Silkov. “Biting commentary from a clearly identified standpoint
that represents its readership” is what the judge
noted, calling the writing “thoughtful and highly

Photos by Christian Miles

Christian Miles’ look at Fleet Week earned him a second place win in the Picture Story category.

informative.” Cogswell was also awarded third place
in the Best Column category. Also included in the
wins for Gay City News: second place for Overall
Design Excellence, recognizing the work of Marcos
Ramos and Schindler. The “good use of space and
color,” noted the judge, “draws you in as a reader.”

We’re enormously proud of these honors, grateful for
the talent and dedication of Chelsea Now’s freelancers, and in constant awe when it comes to our NYC
Community Media and Community News Group colleagues. Now let’s all get back to work, lest we rest on
our laurels and have nothing to show for it next year!

PUBLISHER’S LIABILITY FOR ERROR: The Publisher shall not be
liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value
of an advertisement. The publisher’s liability for other errors or omissions
in connection with an advertisement is strictly limited to publication of the
advertisement in any subsequent issue.

April 19, 2018

25

26

April 19, 2018

NYC Community Media

BATHTUBS continued from p. 19

the lyrics… but by the time they had
been working for, not too long, they
seemed to really mesh and be great
for each other, and turn out this
very unified thing that would seem
like a solid vision.” As for picking a
favorite, Young referred to another
fruitless quest to declare a winner
among disparate styles. “Beebe and
Heyer vs. Sid Siegel? This is like in
the ’60s, the kids would say, ‘I’m a
Beatles fan.’ ‘Oh, yeah? I’m a Rolling
Stones fan.’ ”
By the ’90s, hooked for life on
industrial musicals and emboldened
to seek a stronger fi x, he began to
cold call cast members and creators
— leading to a series of face-to-face
meetings. Some are genuinely overwhelmed, even a bit uncomfortable,
to be validated as artists of worth and
integrity by an insistent Young. But
they return the goodwill by sharing a
treasure trove of anecdotes, insights,
and rare items that have languished
for decades in storage. As this happens, we see Young’s evolution into a
(slightly) less socially awkward fellow
with a growing circle of associates.
Captured on fi lm as he drives en route
to visit the great Sid Siegel, Young
invokes the old “don’t meet your
heroes” warning, his voice trembling
as he asks, “But what if we just don’t
click?” It’s a watershed moment that’s
tremendously satisfying to watch; a
one-time connoisseur of the seemingly odd who’s crossed the Rubicon into
a realm where sincere admiration and
anthropological curiosity get along
like gangbusters — but that capacity, said “Bathtubs” director Dava
Whisenant, was always there.
“Steve has this outlook and perspective on comedy that I hadn’t ever
seen before,” she told us, recalling her
years as an editor on “Late Show with
David Letterman.” Whisenant often
found herself “laughing out loud at
his [Young’s] juxtaposition of these
things that weren’t supposed to go
together.” Although she recalled he
had “a really cynical attitude” during
his early years of consuming industrial musicals, he would later “talk
about the people he was meeting, and
he’d get teary — and I’d go, ‘What’s
going on here? This isn’t the Steve I
know.’ ”
Whisenant knew a good story when
she saw one, though. So when Young
and co-author Sport Murphy released
their comprehensive 2013 tome —
“Everything’s Coming Up Profits: The
Golden Age of Industrial Musicals”
— she chose Young’s journey as the
NYC Community Media

Courtesy of Dava Whisenant

Dava Whisenant’s directorial debut is quirky and compassionate.

narrative hook for her fi rst fi lm. “The
documentary,” she noted, “is the perfect storytelling medium for editors.
You get to really explore and create
the story arc in the [editing] room, as
opposed to getting a script and putting it together. You get to delve into
some new world that otherwise you
would not get to live in.” Whisenant
does just that, effectively enmeshing
the viewer in a realm where worlds
often collide, and always inform one
another: fellow collectors (including
Dead Kennedys singer/songwriter
Jello Biafra), bit players from golden
age industrial musicals, and Young’s
own family (once befuddled witnesses
to his knack for these strange songs,
his daughters emerge as aware appreciators of dad’s role as the genre’s
champion).
“I love blurring the lines,”
Whisenant said, of her own fi lm, as
well as those she admires — including “Wormwood,” “King of Kong”
and “Casting JonBenet.” You can use
the medium, she noted, “to tell an
amazing story. Ours is kind of like
a musical, in a certain sense. We’re
using the lyrics from these industrial

show tunes to tell Steve’s story.” And
with the documentary’s notoriously
small footage-shot-to-footage-used
ratio, the director told us, “There’s
still so much amazing stuff left on
the floor. He [Young] has over 2,000
examples of these songs, and they are
so fantastic. It was really hard not
to include everything.” Pressed for a
tidbit that didn’t make the cut (fodder
for the inevitable DVD bonus footage?), Whisenant recalled the story of
“Michael Brown, one of the compos-

ers, who did so well, he was able to
fund his friend, Harper Lee. He gave
her the money so she could write ‘To
Kill a Mockingbird.’ So that’s a kind
of untold industrial musical story.”
Of Whisenant, Young said he “knew
she was a great editor and had a great
comedic sense,” but learned, over the
four-year process of working with
her, “what fi lmmakers do. It was a
range of skills I was only dimly aware
of.” Still evolving since “Late Show
with David Letterman” ceased production (a process we see glimpses of
in the fi lm), Young’s quest to spread
the gospel of industrial musicals has
compelled him to embrace a variety
of roles — including live stage show
producer, journeyman fi lm historian,
guitar-plucking accompanist, and, in
the fi lm’s immensely satisfying fi nal
scene, a… well, they asked us not to
spoil it, and we won’t. Let’s just say
the whole thing ends on a high note,
and farm equipment is involved.
But will modern audiences be able
to make, as Young did, that great leap
from ironic detachment to emotional
investment? “Since I started out in
the ’80s,” he said, “there’s now more
of a readiness to look at supposedly
disposable cultural things and at least
try to understand them in context…
I do think people are ready to learn
about, and to assess the value of, stuff
— more, maybe, than they were a generation or two ago.”
As of press time, most Tribeca Film
Festival screenings of “Bathtubs Over
Broadway” were sold out. Tickets
were still available for the Sat., Apr.
21, 2pm premiere at BMCC Tribeca
PAC (199 Chambers St.). The screening is followed by a Q&A with members of the cast, including Susan
Stroman and Sheldon Harnick, as
well as a live performance inspired by
the film. To purchase Rush Tickets to
sold-out screenings, visit tribecafilm.
com/filmguide/bathtubs-over-broadway-2018.

April 19, 2018

27

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